Why do I cough when I vape?
One of the most common things I hear with beginning vapers is "Why do I cough when I vape?" Or "I tried it but it made me cough so I went back to cigarettes". I hear it so often that I decided to dedicate a page to it and make a video. So why is it that most of us cough the first time we try an E cig or vaping? Well the really short answer is: Vaping is not smoking.
Let's set up the scenario real quick. You have heard all this hype about E cigs and vaping or maybe a friend or relative is doing it. They have told you how much healthier it is and how they feel better and how they don't smell anymore and on and on. You have either wanted to quit for a while, or someone is pestering you quit. I mean lets face it, in this day and age we KNOW it is bad for us. So there you are in your local convenience store and you see one of those disposable E cigarettes at the counter. Or you get really daring and go into a smoke shop and get one of those kits with the little E cigs and cartridges that screw on the end. With the disposable you probably paid between 7 and 10 dollars for it. For the kit lets say 40 to 100 dollars depending on what brand and how much cool stuff it came with.
So you get home and pull this thing out of box and look at it. You have heard they last between a pack and a half of cigs to 2 packs, some even claim 2 and a half packs! And the person selling it to you probably told you this too since they probably never used one themselves. You look at it doubtingly. You take your first drag like it was a regular cigarette and breathe it straight into your lungs, then exhale. And cough and choke when you do it. You think "man, that hurt my throat, what am I doing wrong?" You take another drag, same thing. Well if you think like a guy you figured you paid good money, so you keep at it. But it makes you cough, it doesn't taste like a cigarette, it really doesn't feel like a cigarette and you discover it sure in the heck didn't last no pack and a half. If your lucky it made it almost a pack, probably closer to half a pack before the battery died.
So far your not impressed. Am I right? You are thinking I smoke a pack a day or more of cigarettes and I know they are bad for me and I don't cough at all. These are supposed to better for me, but they make me cough. If you got a disposable you will probably head down to your corner store and buy a pack of your trusty cigs. Or bum some from a buddy. If you dropped 50 bucks on a kit you might stick with it just out of spite. And in some cases you will stick with it long enough that you don't cough anymore but probably leave it on a shelf at some point because of the battery life or something and go back to smoking. Or possibly upgrade to an Ego kit because you heard they were better and the batteries go longer. Just maybe, like me you will get interested in it enough to try other devices until you find out what actually works. For some however they use it once and never turn back, it just worked. Which are probably some of the people you met that hyped them up.
And again, I think I know what you are thinking at this point. "Man for a guy that is supposed to be helping get people into vaping he isn't doing a very good job at making it sound good." Well, what I am being is honest and not trying to make it seem like something that it isn't. I actually WANT you to succeed at this and enjoy it. And leave cigarettes behind. There are reasons why your first experience was not that great and I am going to explain them and try to help you get past them. Sometimes we need a dose of the truth to push in the right direction.
So where did it all go wrong and why? Well like I said in the beginning, Vaping is NOT smoking. You are breathing something entirely different into your lungs than you are used to. And when you do this your body reacts, normally by coughing and trying to get rid of it. I want you to think back to when you had your first cigarette. How was your first drag on a real cigarette? Did you take a nice deep breath straight into your lungs, blow it out and exclaim how amazing it was and how great it tasted? Nope, you probably coughed until your eyes watered and all your buddies had a good laugh. Then when you finished it you felt dizzy and kind of sick. You still wanted to be cool though. So you took smaller puffs and either didn't inhale as much or not at all. And gradually over time you got more and more used to it. After years of smoking you can hit one like its an oxygen mask and it doesn't phase you.
Well guess what, it is sort of the same thing with vaping. It is something different and your body needs time to adjust to it. That thing that makes you cough is what we call "lung hit" It's that kick you get in the back of your throat when you inhale and exhale the vapor. Well the good news is there are ways to reduce it. Much like smoking ultra lights or something.
There are a number of things that will effect "throat hit". First is technique, as in how you draw in the vapor, the amount of nicotine, Whether the liquid is PG or VG or how much of one or the other it has in it and how hot the coil in your atomizer gets. Over all fluid quality can effect it too. There are some E juices that are just so cheap and nasty you will cough no matter what.
Lets talk about technique first then. I can almost assure you if you take nice long pull off one of these directly into your lungs you are going to cough. I know experienced vapers that can't do this. Think of it more like a cigar and take puffs, then inhale. Or better yet don't think of it as a tobacco product at all. Think of it more as a milkshake or a soda with a straw. Suck on the straw to bring the vapor into your mouth, then instead of swallowing it breathe some in. I suggest maybe 3 second puffs or so to begin. Try putting the E cig in our mouth and taking 3 short puffs on it to get the vapor going then take an easy breath in and right back out again. Don't suck it into the bottom of your lungs and hold it there. In time your body will get used to it and you can take more in. Eventually you will probably be able to draw it right into your lungs if you want. But after doing it this way for while you will probably like it better. For me the flavor is better than a direct breath in. And it won't take as long to get used to as cigarettes either. I would say if after a week you are still coughing every time something else in the chain needs adjusting. I feel it is also harder to get used to it if you are vaping and smoking at the same time, some do it though.
Right up there with technique is the nicotine level in the fluid. Normally it will have a number either in mg or percent and this tells you how much nicotine per ml is in the solution. So 11mg or 1.1% would be 11mg per ml of fluid. Nicotine is going to be one of the largest factors in lung hit. PG/VG and coil heat are sort of just determining factors in how much nicotine is getting delivered. Chances are those disposables or the kit you got came with 18 to 24 mg of nicotine. That is high. If you got a disposable with 24mg of nicotine and a PG based fluid that is going to be like going from ultra lights to camel non filtered. You are going to notice a difference. Some think starting high and gradually decreasing nicotine is the way to go. I would advice starting low and working your way up if it is not satisfying. If it is satisfying just stay at the low end. In most cases the lowest is going to be around 6mg, after that its zero nicotine. Yes they have 0 nicotine fluids.
As for PG vs VG, PG seems to have more throat hit than VG. There are some 100 percent VG fluids but most are a mix. Like 60/40 or 70/30 and there are probably some pure PG ones too. Unfortunately I have not seen many bottles that list what they are so you kind of have to try them to see what works, or do some research and ask.
How hot the coil in the atomizer gets can be effected by a few things. Either the resistance of the coil or the voltage of the battery. If the battery is not adjustable they are normally 3.7 volts. Most of the E cigs that look a cigarette come with 3 ohm atomizers, but not all of them. Some are lower. The lower the resistance the hotter the coil will get and the more vapor it will produce. Thus delivering more nicotine. Same thing with adjusting the power of the battery, more power equals hotter coil. So if you go from a 3 ohm coil to a 1.5 dual coil again it will be like going from a light to an unfiltered.
This is why I always recommend two things to the new vaper. First find a good vapor shop that will let you try things out. Like different devices, flavors and nic levels. Second, skip the cute little cigarette looking things and non regulated Ego kits. Just start with a decent variable voltage device or better yet a variable voltage/wattage device. Amazingly if you look around you can get full variable voltage kits for not much more than the other kits. You are still talking the 50-100 dollar range. And forget about the disposables for 10 bucks a pop for 3/4 of a pack of cigs, it is a waste of money. They are easier to use though, just pull it out and vape it, when you are done toss it.
So find a shop and look at some of the variable voltage models, Ego twists are simple and popular but there are other brands and styles too. Then taste some different juices and play around with the voltage settings. Eventually you will hit that "Ah Ha" moment. Start with a 6mg nicotine E juice and lower voltage and slowly turn the voltage up until you like it. The more you get used it the more you can adjust the voltage up, or even go up a step in nic level.
And eventually your lungs will start to clear up, your smell and taste will improve and you won't smell like an ashtray anymore. It just takes a little dedication and sacrifice. Remember, you didn't learn to smoke over night, don't expect to learn to vape over night either.
I hope this helps some of you and makes your vaping journey a happier and more enjoyable one.
Let's set up the scenario real quick. You have heard all this hype about E cigs and vaping or maybe a friend or relative is doing it. They have told you how much healthier it is and how they feel better and how they don't smell anymore and on and on. You have either wanted to quit for a while, or someone is pestering you quit. I mean lets face it, in this day and age we KNOW it is bad for us. So there you are in your local convenience store and you see one of those disposable E cigarettes at the counter. Or you get really daring and go into a smoke shop and get one of those kits with the little E cigs and cartridges that screw on the end. With the disposable you probably paid between 7 and 10 dollars for it. For the kit lets say 40 to 100 dollars depending on what brand and how much cool stuff it came with.
So you get home and pull this thing out of box and look at it. You have heard they last between a pack and a half of cigs to 2 packs, some even claim 2 and a half packs! And the person selling it to you probably told you this too since they probably never used one themselves. You look at it doubtingly. You take your first drag like it was a regular cigarette and breathe it straight into your lungs, then exhale. And cough and choke when you do it. You think "man, that hurt my throat, what am I doing wrong?" You take another drag, same thing. Well if you think like a guy you figured you paid good money, so you keep at it. But it makes you cough, it doesn't taste like a cigarette, it really doesn't feel like a cigarette and you discover it sure in the heck didn't last no pack and a half. If your lucky it made it almost a pack, probably closer to half a pack before the battery died.
So far your not impressed. Am I right? You are thinking I smoke a pack a day or more of cigarettes and I know they are bad for me and I don't cough at all. These are supposed to better for me, but they make me cough. If you got a disposable you will probably head down to your corner store and buy a pack of your trusty cigs. Or bum some from a buddy. If you dropped 50 bucks on a kit you might stick with it just out of spite. And in some cases you will stick with it long enough that you don't cough anymore but probably leave it on a shelf at some point because of the battery life or something and go back to smoking. Or possibly upgrade to an Ego kit because you heard they were better and the batteries go longer. Just maybe, like me you will get interested in it enough to try other devices until you find out what actually works. For some however they use it once and never turn back, it just worked. Which are probably some of the people you met that hyped them up.
And again, I think I know what you are thinking at this point. "Man for a guy that is supposed to be helping get people into vaping he isn't doing a very good job at making it sound good." Well, what I am being is honest and not trying to make it seem like something that it isn't. I actually WANT you to succeed at this and enjoy it. And leave cigarettes behind. There are reasons why your first experience was not that great and I am going to explain them and try to help you get past them. Sometimes we need a dose of the truth to push in the right direction.
So where did it all go wrong and why? Well like I said in the beginning, Vaping is NOT smoking. You are breathing something entirely different into your lungs than you are used to. And when you do this your body reacts, normally by coughing and trying to get rid of it. I want you to think back to when you had your first cigarette. How was your first drag on a real cigarette? Did you take a nice deep breath straight into your lungs, blow it out and exclaim how amazing it was and how great it tasted? Nope, you probably coughed until your eyes watered and all your buddies had a good laugh. Then when you finished it you felt dizzy and kind of sick. You still wanted to be cool though. So you took smaller puffs and either didn't inhale as much or not at all. And gradually over time you got more and more used to it. After years of smoking you can hit one like its an oxygen mask and it doesn't phase you.
Well guess what, it is sort of the same thing with vaping. It is something different and your body needs time to adjust to it. That thing that makes you cough is what we call "lung hit" It's that kick you get in the back of your throat when you inhale and exhale the vapor. Well the good news is there are ways to reduce it. Much like smoking ultra lights or something.
There are a number of things that will effect "throat hit". First is technique, as in how you draw in the vapor, the amount of nicotine, Whether the liquid is PG or VG or how much of one or the other it has in it and how hot the coil in your atomizer gets. Over all fluid quality can effect it too. There are some E juices that are just so cheap and nasty you will cough no matter what.
Lets talk about technique first then. I can almost assure you if you take nice long pull off one of these directly into your lungs you are going to cough. I know experienced vapers that can't do this. Think of it more like a cigar and take puffs, then inhale. Or better yet don't think of it as a tobacco product at all. Think of it more as a milkshake or a soda with a straw. Suck on the straw to bring the vapor into your mouth, then instead of swallowing it breathe some in. I suggest maybe 3 second puffs or so to begin. Try putting the E cig in our mouth and taking 3 short puffs on it to get the vapor going then take an easy breath in and right back out again. Don't suck it into the bottom of your lungs and hold it there. In time your body will get used to it and you can take more in. Eventually you will probably be able to draw it right into your lungs if you want. But after doing it this way for while you will probably like it better. For me the flavor is better than a direct breath in. And it won't take as long to get used to as cigarettes either. I would say if after a week you are still coughing every time something else in the chain needs adjusting. I feel it is also harder to get used to it if you are vaping and smoking at the same time, some do it though.
Right up there with technique is the nicotine level in the fluid. Normally it will have a number either in mg or percent and this tells you how much nicotine per ml is in the solution. So 11mg or 1.1% would be 11mg per ml of fluid. Nicotine is going to be one of the largest factors in lung hit. PG/VG and coil heat are sort of just determining factors in how much nicotine is getting delivered. Chances are those disposables or the kit you got came with 18 to 24 mg of nicotine. That is high. If you got a disposable with 24mg of nicotine and a PG based fluid that is going to be like going from ultra lights to camel non filtered. You are going to notice a difference. Some think starting high and gradually decreasing nicotine is the way to go. I would advice starting low and working your way up if it is not satisfying. If it is satisfying just stay at the low end. In most cases the lowest is going to be around 6mg, after that its zero nicotine. Yes they have 0 nicotine fluids.
As for PG vs VG, PG seems to have more throat hit than VG. There are some 100 percent VG fluids but most are a mix. Like 60/40 or 70/30 and there are probably some pure PG ones too. Unfortunately I have not seen many bottles that list what they are so you kind of have to try them to see what works, or do some research and ask.
How hot the coil in the atomizer gets can be effected by a few things. Either the resistance of the coil or the voltage of the battery. If the battery is not adjustable they are normally 3.7 volts. Most of the E cigs that look a cigarette come with 3 ohm atomizers, but not all of them. Some are lower. The lower the resistance the hotter the coil will get and the more vapor it will produce. Thus delivering more nicotine. Same thing with adjusting the power of the battery, more power equals hotter coil. So if you go from a 3 ohm coil to a 1.5 dual coil again it will be like going from a light to an unfiltered.
This is why I always recommend two things to the new vaper. First find a good vapor shop that will let you try things out. Like different devices, flavors and nic levels. Second, skip the cute little cigarette looking things and non regulated Ego kits. Just start with a decent variable voltage device or better yet a variable voltage/wattage device. Amazingly if you look around you can get full variable voltage kits for not much more than the other kits. You are still talking the 50-100 dollar range. And forget about the disposables for 10 bucks a pop for 3/4 of a pack of cigs, it is a waste of money. They are easier to use though, just pull it out and vape it, when you are done toss it.
So find a shop and look at some of the variable voltage models, Ego twists are simple and popular but there are other brands and styles too. Then taste some different juices and play around with the voltage settings. Eventually you will hit that "Ah Ha" moment. Start with a 6mg nicotine E juice and lower voltage and slowly turn the voltage up until you like it. The more you get used it the more you can adjust the voltage up, or even go up a step in nic level.
And eventually your lungs will start to clear up, your smell and taste will improve and you won't smell like an ashtray anymore. It just takes a little dedication and sacrifice. Remember, you didn't learn to smoke over night, don't expect to learn to vape over night either.
I hope this helps some of you and makes your vaping journey a happier and more enjoyable one.